Strictly Business
by GreyscaleWriter
Summary: When the task of robbing Remnant of its dust falls to the Kingpin, Roman Torchwick, the last thing he expected was a girl of eyes both pink and brown to walk in looking for a job. A series of Gelato moments leading to the crash of the airship. (Reviews greatly appreciated)
1. At the Bar

Hey, guys, this is my first fanfic in this sight. I've tried to write before but abandoned the other stories for lack of a plot and solid storyboard. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you find some enjoyment from my crappy writing :P

...At the Bar

...

After the resolutions of new year's day fade off into the corners of the mind, people fall back to doing the same old routine as the year before. Those who live normally finally realize the fruitlessness of their efforts of trying to change their lives based off of a day of drunken promises fall into a depression to where alcohol is used as a medium to submerge their problems. Individuals blessed with auras also tend to fall into the embrace of the spirits of debauchery, but some have the ability to use that depression and mold it into something, oh, productive to say the best: relentless hunting, burying themselves in work, lying, cheating, stealing, killing, all to make sure to outrun the grips of their sadness, in other words...

...Survive.

Roman Torchwick considered himself a survivor above all his other recognizable traits (besides having devilishly handsome looks) and took pride in the position in society he placed himself in. He was recognized well throughout the underground network of Remnant as a kingpin who specializes in many 'honorable' trades: loan shark, protection rackets, drug trade, gambling, and most of all, the best thief in all of the four kingdoms; life was good for Roman Torchwick.

The Tinderbox Bar was currently an asset owned by Torchwick (under a fake alias of course) after winning it in a poker game a while back. The crowd was quite busy in the last months of winter, with valentine's day heartbreaks still fresh in people's minds, the bar industry seemed to thrive off people throwing money at the bartenders to hurry up so they could drown their sorrows faster.

Roman wanted to **laugh**.

All this wasted effort and talent exhausted at the tips of alcohol and other intoxicants. The talent that he was currently recruiting for the scary and crazy- not that anyone heard it from him- fire manipulator Cinder Fall. The talent was being used to expand his heisting operation to accommodate trying to target an entire empire's dust reserves. The task to raid almost all of Remnant required quite a bit more manpower than what Roman currently had at his disposal, and now his crew numbered about 327 more than it had originally been, the last recruit being picked up about a couple of minutes ago. Roman didn't agree with, or even know, the details of Cinder's cause, but when someone was offering a sum of Lien THAT big you couldn't help but feel a bit devoted to their cause. He had cut all investment spending into his other operations and devoted all of his gang's efforts toward preparing for this global scale heist, after all, Roman wasn't one to sit idly with his thumb up his ass while opportunity sat knocking at his doorstep.

"Barkeep, can I get that drink any faster!" Roman barked.

Knowing better than to keep his boss waiting, the bartender dropped whatever customers drink he was presently making to pour scotch glass into Romans empty cup before Roman could sneer at him for taking so long. His job or life, for that matter, was on the line ya know.

Roman took a sip from his glass, savoring the smoky taste that lingered in his mouth along with the burn of the alcohol running down his throat before he set the glass back down on the table, all the while thinking upon his plans for the future dust heists that were to be held.

Wonder if that bitch Cinder will pull that stick out her ass and be happy my men are ready to be sent out. The last update he sent out to her ended up with him having to make a new suit because his progress "wasn't moving fast enough." _Please, does that skank even know how hard it is to rob a city of its dust stores, and she wants me to rob a whole NATION!_ Not that Roman wasn't happy about the fame he was gonna gain from this stunt, he just doesn't appreciate spoiled brats not having more reasonable demands.

Before Roman could reach the scotch in his cup to his lips for another sip the door opened to the bar. Not that it was slammed open or anything, it's just one of those things for everyone at the bar to stop what they were doing to silently judge the person walking into this 'fine' establishment at this time at night. However, he didn't think anyone would expect a girl like THAT to walk in the place.

Roman was taken aback by the female who stood in the entrance shaking out her parasol of the droplets that had formed on this stormy day in a town of Vacuo. Her cascading hair was parted in the middle with one side brown and the other white. She was dressed in a white jacket with a brown corset underneath, her pants were also brown with a pair of laced white boots, all completed with the pink frilly parasol. Her entire outfit looked like a flavor of Ice cream usually in between two chocolate cookies, like a sandwich. Her stature was easily under 5 ft, even with the heeled boots, compared to even the shortest guys at the bar. He visualized her as a street mouse in an alley of street cats, which was pretty reasonable considering the hungry stares she was getting from most of the patrons she walked past on her way to the counter. She was, in a word, petite.

To Roman though, his attention wasn't on her height, or the beads just above her modest cleavage, or the way her corset exposed her hips to gazing eyes, or even her strange, soft colored wardrobe, no the only thing Roman saw when she waltzed into his bar was her two-tone eyes. Pink and Brown could never hope to pop this much even on a rich girl in a public school they were simply so stunning. There was something else Roman thought, as he looked deeper, into the Chocolate and Strawberry pools on this doll-like girl, despite their animated quality those eyes spoke that this girl was anything like her doll-like exterior. They held a strength and confidence he had not seen even on the strongest of his henchmen and the way they quickly dodged around the room, taking in each and every face she saw like a nevermore would spot its prey, a superiority lived in those eyes and the owner of them knew it. Looking into those eyes felt like every moment Roman looked into the mirror preparing his image for the day, those eyes with that absurd almost clothing made stand out, made her different, made her...

... _Unique_

If Roman's interest wasn't already high it increased tenfold with that thought. He, unlike most in his line of work, preferred to stand out from the rest. It was why he was one of the few men that applied eyeliner daily. He prides himself on walking into another heist or protection racket and his victims being able to recognize he meant business. As a practice of drawing attention to himself, he found himself drawn to those who also made themselves visible to any eye. It usually meant they had something to show for as well.

He was so caught up in his own mind that he almost didn't notice when her eyes came up to meet his. Roman managed to keep his shock hidden as she kept gaze on him. His smirk never left his face as his visible eye searched deeper within those eyes only to find one new thing that he hadn't seen before,

Amusement.

As if she had noticed him studying her, the slight downturn of her lips came up ever so slightly on one side, planting on her face a smirk before she did something that surprised Roman...

 _...did she just wink?_

The quick movement of her eyelid was what had Roman reinvest his effort into finding out just who this girl was and why she had come into his bar looking the way she did, after all, anyone who dresses that boldly is just asking to be noticed. His green eyes narrowed and his face put on Cheshire smile as another thought of this girl that had walked into his bar took his mind again.

 _I think I like this girl._

The girl in question replaced the smirk on her lips with the indifferent mask that she just had on when she arrived. The girl then sat on an open bar stool and hung her folded parasol on the edge of the bar before waving her hand to call the bartender. The bartender already has observed the girls entrance, he walked over to help the girl with what she wanted.

"Anything I can get for you tonight, Miss." The female reached into her coat pocket and removed a pink pencil and notepad. She wrote quickly on the paper before ripping it out of the binding and handing it to the intrigued bartender. He looked over the contents of the note, "Yeah I can whip something like that right up," he said while looking back up to the girl, "but I'm going to have to see some ID first."

The girl then placed the notepad and pencil back into her pocket with one hand while pulling out a pink wallet and chain from her pants with the other. She took out a card before presenting its face to the man behind the bar. He leaned in for a closer look, then nodded once with raised eyebrows, "Looks like everything checks out; I'll get on that drink right away."

Roman was quite surprised that her ID was valid to the bartender and not a fake, she did look like a student fresh out of Mistral academy. Normally any student that did get there hands on a fake ID was quickly thrown out. One, because one of Roman's men probably gave the kid the ID, and two, he gave his bartenders a course on how to identify fake ones. Even though Roman already had looser morals on stealing and killing, he had a front to put up on his bar so no suspicion would be drawn that any sort of operation was being run out of it, and any word that they handed out alcohol to kids would put it on the radar faster than a wandering Boarbatusk. Roman didn't need that attention unless it was going to be on him directly.

While Roman pondered on the integrity of his operation's plans the bartender finished up the drink for the tricolor girl, "One Chocolate Covered Strawberry." He placed the pink and brown concoction in front of her on a napkin before garnishing the edge of the glass with a chocolate covered strawberry. The girl nodded a thank you and the man went about his business filling empty glasses and pouring new drinks.

As the girl took the sweet drink up to her pink lips, she was interiors by a voice from behind her.

"What's a cute little thing like you doing around here?" The slurred speech pulled Roman back to the bar and toward the slob of a man now behind the where the girl was currently situated. Roman tensed up, but remained seated, ready to jump into the lady's rescue if need be. Just because he was an asshole who would take candy from a baby didn't mean he didn't carry some code of chivalry. He prided himself on being a gentleman as well as a selfish, stealing prick.

The girl placed down her drink slowly pivoted on her stool to face the man who was little more than a foot too close to her. She bent her once noticeable frown into a sickeningly fake, sweet smile and tilted her head at the greasy man in front of her. "I don't see much of your type atta place like this", the girl visibly recoiled at the smell of the man's breath, "Only ladies pretty as you hangin around 'ere got some serious daddy issues. Why don't you let me take you back to my place and I'll let you have a seat on daddy's lap." The girl, almost as if she didn't quite grasp the idea of the situation, changed her expression to one of innocent contemplation and tilted her head to the other side exaggeratedly before refusing him with a shake of her head, frown returning, and turning back around to her drink.

"Cmon baby, Don't be like that." The man went to place a hand on her shoulder. "I promise I'll be gentle." If his hand reached her shoulder, Roman couldn't tell you because she had his hand on his middle finger faster than he could see. As she bent it at an unnatural angle against his wrist, she reached calmly with her free hand and brought her drink to her lips where she finally took her much-awaited sip. The mans wailing, still going on, was ceased as she released it and placed her hand on the man's head before showing the man's face just how hard a wooden bar was. She slowly placed her glass down and pulled out a pink scroll from her pocket, starting to check the message she had received.

Roman's eyes went wide at her display of power on this poor excuse for a man, and he started to chuckle as many of the men at the bar started to as well. Roman knew he had to do something to get to know this girl, from her display over the past couple of seconds he began to rethink his opinion on the girl, I don't want her for my plans...I need her. His smirk returned to his face as he sat up, retrieved his cane and began to strut over to her place across the bar.

The man currently on the floor groaned and reached up to his sore face with his hand. When he pulled his hand away to look at it, there was a good amount of blood on his face and from what he felt with his tongue his good tooth was missing. Rage filled the man as he quickly stood up, reaching into his back pocket and bringing out a switchblade. "You... BITCH!" He moved to attack her but only managed to face plant back on the ground as his feet were tripped up by a white curved handle. He looked up to see just who was willing to prevent him from getting his revenge, but felt it be replaced by fear as he looked up into a single green eye, "Roman..."

"Well, Kelly. Looks like you're comfortable with your place on the floor, can't say I've seen a position that suits you more than where you are now. Besides rotting away at my bar, that is." Others chuckling and making wolf whistles at the more feminine name of the man. Roman knelt down, leaning on his cane "Now tell me what exactly did you plan to do with that knife there."

"Uhh... I was...was...um...she...I..." he mumbled incoherently.

"It's called a rhetorical question, dumbass." Roman spat. "Maybe if you spent as much time learning something as you do pissing out brain cells you could keep your IQ from getting any lower."

Sitting up on his knees, the man brought his hands together, begging, "Please, Roman, I'm sorry I really am. I didn't know she was one of your girls."

She wasn't one of his girls, but Roman wasn't gonna let him know that. He brought the man up by his collar and brought him up as roman stood. He looked right at the drunk's face ignoring the foul stench that rose from the man and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Get the fuck out of my bar", Roman growled deeply throwing the man in the direction of the door. The man didn't need another warning as he scrambled up and bolted out the door with a whimper. Roman noticed he was receiving stares from numerous people around the bar, "What are you all looking at!" The people quickly returned to their own business, not wanting to invoke any trouble from Roman. He turned his attention back to the bar with a humph and found him still being observed by one person.

The girl had watched the small confrontation she had started wrap up and now knew this was the guy her informer had told her about. She was told this man could get her a job specific to her talents, the only thing she needed was for the guy to recognize she was valuable. If the way he was looking at her was an indication of his interest, then she was confident she had succeeded. She fluttered her fingers in a cute wave at the sharply dressed man before giving him another wink like the one when she walked in.

Roman felt his cockiness rise with the little wave and his smirk appeared on his face tenfold. He proceeded to bounce his cane against the floor to catch it in the middle when it was mid-air, well, that what he planned to do. He positioned his hand improperly so he only managed to knock his cane around in the air and fumbled to get a good grip on it before it fell back down, needless to say, he looked like quite the klutz. The girl had been the one observing the whole thing began to giggle quietly into her hand at his failed display of adeptness with his weapon. _Smooth Roman, real smooth_. Roman shook off the embarrassment and began to walk over to the lady at the bar who had turned her attention back to her drink.

She pretended not to notice the man situating himself in the seat next to her as she lifted the glass for another sip. Curiosity proved too strong, and she slowly turned her head, glass still on her lips, to the ginger-haired man who was leaning on his arm waiting for her attention. "You're quite the troublemaker aren't you", he inquired.

The girl shrugged her shoulders cutely.

"Ok, you can cut the cute crap. I already know you not here for just a fruity drink and conversation", he gestured to the man's tooth on the bar, "and you obviously have the skills to pay the bills, so to speak."

The girl smirked and turned away from the gangster to take another sip from her now almost empty glass.

"Don't talk much do you", Roman scrutinized. He shrugged it off though and reached into his jacket for his favorite lighter, placing it on the counter, "Can't say I blame you. I wouldn't want to communicate with strangers either," he pulled out a cigar from his chest pocket and a silver cutter, "but when you're in a line of work like mine, you don't really get much of a choice." The girl turned her attention back to the man who was currently placing a cigar in his mouth and his cutter back in his pocket. "My name, Miss, is Roman Torchwick. I want to offer you a chance to be involved in a few... plans I have coming up," he reached for his lighter on the counter, "What do you say, interested?" His hand search around for the lighter that was no more on the counter, but in the girl's hands. She flicked the lighter open and on before bringing the flame to the expensive cigar in Roman's lips. He puffed a couple of times as the flame reached the cigar and pulled away as he was satisfied with the way it burned. He looked into her mischievous eyes, her answer having been carried across perfectly.

He puffed out a generous cloud of smoke into the air above them before reaching the girl's eyes yet again. "I'm glad an agreement could be worked out between us," he remarked, "but I would prefer to know the name of someone I have just recruited." The girl smirked before grabbing her umbrella and hopping off the bar stool to walk out the door. Roman observed the way her body moved as she made her way to the door and out into the now drizzling outside night, parasol fully extended.

A little peeved he couldn't get a name out of the mystery girl, he grunted and turned to his lighter that was set on the counter to grab it, until something else grabbed his interest. "Should I send her tab to you sir?" The barkeep asked the smirking man.

"Of course, James. And also send someone to make sure that scum, Kelly, learns to keep his hands to himself." Roman took his lighter into his pocket and lifted the folded napkin underneath it so he could get a better look. He took a mental picture of the number on the paper as well as a neatly cursive name written underneath it.

 _Neo is it..._

He looked at the door the girl by the name of Neo just walked out of, and another thought crossed his mind that made him chuckle as he blew another cloud of smoke.

 _...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship._


	2. Riding in a Car

Hey guys, chapter two coming right up hope you enjoy it. I'm going to start devoting all my free time to my stories as opposed to wasting my time on video games and begin doing something more productive with my life. Leave reviews which are greatly appreciated and have a good wasted nights sleep reading stories in bed :)

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Riding in a Car

Neo believed her muteness to be both a blessing and a curse in her life as a hired gun. While her silence made her employers feel comfortable that she wouldn't be blabbing about their business, it also prevented her from being anything else to her employers than a pretty face and a common thug. Only positions she was ever placed in by her employers was by there side or in the front lines doing dirty work fit for people new to the crime scene.

Neo was anything but inexperienced and stupid, which is why she appreciated the fact that most of the well connected individuals chose her as a bodyguard, those who speak less tend to be better listeners after all, or had her as a hit woman due to her honed set of skills. She wished she could put her talents to better use such as espionage or even as a strategist, illusion was one of her semblances after all, but sadly, she was a woman as well as a mute and just like that her already small chances of moving up the crime ladder were halved. In the world of simple minded thugs and criminals, only the most perfect would be able to climb the crime ladder, it was survival of the fittest.

Must be why I'm the only one alive.

She reflected on he past experiences with her ex-bosses and found having a tombstone above their heads was a common theme between them. Everyone of her bosses had ended up dead during of after she had come in contact with them in one way or another. It seemed she had a curse upon her dooming all those who hire her to a early grave, but Neo had never been superstitious, black cats and horseshoes were things for children. Why should she be worried about bad men who had what was coming to them, she did cause the death of quite a few of them, after all. She had no problems with them prior to hiring, but when someone doesn't know when to stop trying to put there hands where they shouldn't, she didn't hesitate to take a couple of fingers off...not to mention cutting a few from the gene-pool.

Aside from things in the past, Neo had gotten a voice message from Roman presenting her with the first task he wished for her to to complete. She pulled out her scroll and went back to replay the message and double check she had everything done.

"Hey Neo, it's Roman Torchwick...the guy...from the bar...offered you a job...remember? Of course...you do...Anyway! First thing I want you to do, is in three days pack up all your items and everything you hold dear, and bring them to this first location I sent you through text, I'll have one of my goons pick it up and bring it to the place you're gonna be staying. Next, go to this second address I sent you, yet again in your texts, and pick up my dry cleaning which is under the name...*paper crinkling*...Roman...Candle *laughing in background*...ugh. Lastly, take the dry cleaning to the last location...also a text message...I'm seriously making sure you know that it's a text message, last guy I sent one of these voice recordings to to thought he was gonna get a letter from me, a LETTER. Who in the hell sends letters anymore? Old people and asylum patients that's who. Right, bring the dry cleaning to the insane asyl...sorry...the third location and wait for me there three days from now...that's it. Ok, that wraps that up, see you in three days...goodbye *crashing sound*... WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF PICKING THE NAME!"

Neo couldn't help but chuckle after hearing his outrage another time, the first couple of times she played back the message she found herself out of breath and rolling on the floor. She looked to the dry cleaning in her left hand and wondered why he would ask her to do such a silly thing as picking up dry cleaning.

Roman was certainly different than the other bosses she had, by this point she would have already sat down and been questioned on her motives before being given any assignments, no matter how silly. He had not even given her a chance to show off her abilities so it made Neo doubtful she would be anything other than a goon at this point. Must be why I'm standing out in the rain with his dry cleaning.

It was just past lunch and the sun was shrouded with the gray cover of the storm, the rain had not let up all week and was currently coming down in a healthy drizzle. Her signature parasol was doing its job of shielding its mistress from the rain as Neo stood on a corner of a four way intersection in some town near the border of Vacuo and Vale.

She was wearing her 'work' outfit and had a pink suitcase next to her carrying her overnight clothes. These was currently the only possessions she had on her as she had shipped her other belongings to the address Roman had designated for her to send them to, not that she had very many items to begin with, most of the boxes shipped contained casual clothes, makeup, and little trinkets that had come by in her years of work.

Not to many people were on the streets in weather like this, Most likely spending time with family or friends in the shelters of their home. The thought of interaction and kinship would had got to Neo 10 or so years ago, but the coldness of being a killer had frozen those thoughts deep into the archives of her mind.

She had been a victim of losing someone close to her, but that was before a time she cared to remember, she was grown now and had clients she need to run errands for, albeit menial errands. Feelings and connection (unless strictly professional) had no room in her line of work, not when the lives of those she took had families of their own they wouldn't come back to.

Before she could start heading deeper in her thoughts, the honk of a horn pulled her back to reality. She looked to the direction of the noise and saw a white, Lumina Reghal Royal GS coming down the street. It was one of the more expensive brands in the remnant automotive market, known for its rounded style and luxurious interiors, usually owned by the wealthy upper class of remnant. It was a four door sedan that was stretched in the back to allow more room for the back seat occupants to where 4 people could fit comfortably. The relatively large car was powered by a W12 Dust Fusion engine with 550 horsepower powering all four wheels. It had one of the most advanced suspension systems of any car, which allowed its ride and comfort to live up to its slogan of "A loyal car, that feels like flying". Neo had only seen one other that was owned by her ex-boss, who had died in said car as it went up in a cloud of ignited red dust. Given the fashionable notoriety of her current boss, she knew that this must be her ride.

The car pulled next to the corner, and the back tinted window rolled down revealing the ginger haired man lounging in the reclined seat with a half finished cigar in his mouth. With a lazy tilt of his head toward the window, the man took the cigar from his mouth and spoke to the heterochromatic girl, "Get in before you catch something, Mark will get your stuff."

Neo hung the plastic wrapped suit on her suitcase handle and walked around the back of the car. She reached the other door to where the driver was waiting with an umbrella and the door opened. She closed her trusty parasol under the larger shade of the man and ducked into the dimly lit car, door shut firmly behind her.

While she had heard that the interior of the Reghal was the epitome of luxury, this was the first time she got to see firsthand what they meant. The spacious cabin contained plush seats covered with bleached white leather, with cross stitched designs on the back and headrest. The entire cabin was enclosed in red velvet with white leather accents and polished wooden garnish on the doors and middle console. The cloth curtains covering the windows were fully closed and lights were dimmed, making for a ambient atmosphere. Classical music was being played quietly in the background.

The jolt of the trunk slamming shut drew Neo's attention from the expensively made car to the equally expensive, dressed man relaxing in the seat next to her. He was dressed in a black sport coat with an red button up shirt underneath that had the first few buttons undone, and a pair of black loafers and slacks covering his lower body. His hat was hanging on a hook next to the handle above the door. "Ever been in a car as nice as this", he asked as he extinguished his cigar butt in the ashtray.

Neo shook her head, he gaze wandering around the beautifully designed cabin again. Roman reached for the whiskey glass in the cup holder, "Neither have I."

She looked at him, her head tilted in question, as he took a sip.

"To me it's just an impractical, overpriced toy," he rambled swirling the liquid in the glass, "Why spend so much money on a toy the size of a small yacht when you could go out and get an actual one, idiots."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically at the man who was lounging in the seat currently

"You think I bought this?" he questioned in fake astonishment, "Please, the only people who would waste money on such a stupid thing are rich assholes with something to prove to their dead daddy," he took another drink from his glass, hand moving to prop his head up as he relaxed, "for you information, I proved something to my daddy long ago."

Neo giggled, but then looked around the cabin in confusion on whose car she was actually sitting in. Roman was observing her, amused with her cute laughter, but a little irked he hadn't heard one word out of the petite girl since she was at the bar, "If you're curious to know whos car it is you can just ask me; there's no reason for us to hide anything." An innocent look appeared on his face as he brought his hand to his chest and fluttered his eyebrows, "It's just little old me."

Neo found herself giggling again at his dorky antics, but remembered she did have something she was hiding.

Roman noticed the small hint of guilt on her face as she looked to the carpet, and his expression became one of uncertainty, he sat up from his relaxed posture, "Unless secrets are being kept." Neo nodded her head to confirm his suspicions, hoping he would have caught the expression, it would make explaining a lot smoother. "I don't particularly care for subordinates who keep secrets from me, so I suggest you start spilling," he said eyes narrowing.

She wanted to wait to arrive at their destination to tell him about her handicap, as it would eliminate him not wanting to work with a mute and leaving her on the side of some mountain road they were on. By the way things looked, she wouldn't get much of a choice, the man was demanding an answer and she would respond, he was the person with all the cards at the moment. She sighed in defeat, making a cross gesture across her throat.

"You can't say anything or they'll kill you?" he questioned, leaning on the armrest, expression shifting to a poker face that could make a hold'em champ blush.

She looked at him annoyed and shook her head, making the same gesture.

"If you told me you would have to kill me?" he asked still not understanding her gestures.

She brought her palm to her face in frustration shaking her head. She pulled out her phone and turned it on beginning to type on the screen.

"Oh, so now you're just gonna ignore me. I'm not the king of goddamn charades," the girl kept typing during his rant, "it's not like my semblance is reading minds!"

Neo finished typing and threw her phone on Roman's lap. "I honestly don't know why you're making this so difficult," he grasped the phone angrily, "is it so hard to get a few words, it's like I'm talking to a…"

'I'm mute.'

His hard visage disappeared and his eyes softened as he read the two words on the screen, he looked over to the girl who was shoving the curtains away to look to the overcast sky as the rain lightly sprinkled the pane of glass. He could only see a faint reflection of the her face in the glass, but even a moron could see the trace of sadness on her face. Roman grimaced looking down to his lap as his hand rubbed the back of his head. Way to be an ass...nice Roman.

The landscape of a valley passed by slower than she would have liked, all it meant that the time it took to reach wherever they were going would be longer than she was hoping. Neo could care less at the fact of him calling her out for being a mute- that had happened enough times- she learned to ignore the bullying and other unmentionable comments, as well as knowing martial arts could be an effective method at silencing people. It just sad to know her inability to speak had thrown her chances at finding a job again, she didn't need to look at him to confirm her suspicions, he was just trying to find the best way to break it to her that his services needed someone who had the ability to give effective orders. Why didn't I tell him at the bar instead of being cheeky? Stupid move Neo.

She heard him take a sharp inhale of breath and steadied herself for the response.

"Look I-I'm sorry…," he said, the words foreign in his mouth, "Didn't realize you were an actual mute, hehe."

Ahh there it is. She stared out the window contemplating how much of a hassle it would be getting her stuff returned in the mail.

"That was a total dick move of me... if you didn't realize I tend to be kind of an ass sometimes." he said with a shrug.

Well so much fo...wait what? She turned slowly to face the man, not believing her ears for a minute her mouth slightly open disbelief.

Roman was taken back by her shocked expression, expecting some sort of smug look at being able to get him to apologize for such a silly thing.

"There are no bugs in here, so by any means, don't be worried about catching any in your mouth," he quipped.

She sealed her pink lips, and glanced away quickly, hoping he didn't see the light cherry color on her cheeks. Still doubting his response, she motioned for the phone still in his hand, and he relinquished it to her as she snatched it from his grasp. The ticking of the text sound was going almost double the speed it was before as her thumbs moved furiously across the screen. Finished, she showed the words on the screen to him.

"You're not gonna fire me?"

"Fire you?" he looked incredulously at her.

She made a quick nod.

"Why in the hell would I fire you, you haven't even been hired… yet." the last part coming out as a murmur.

The typing resumed again and another text appeared in romans vision, "Won't not being able to talk make communicating a bit difficult?"

Roman scoffed, "Difficult is such an unattractive word, I prefer to call it… more like… a challenge, besides, it seems like the texting is working out pretty well, don't you think?" He commented cheekily.

Neo kept quiet not knowing what else to say. This suave criminal had yet again peaked her interest: his methods, his mannerisms, his fashion sense all placed him farther and farther apart from the way her past bosses had acted from when she first got acquainted with them. He was just so… weird.

Was this really the man who held such sway over the underworld of Remnant, the man who could pull off any bank job, control whether a person lived or died with a simple phone call? Neo supposed that he must be, after all, in order to thrive in this world of living off the misfortunes of others one needed something to stand out in the crowd, to be able to set yourself apart from the others climbing the underground ladder, you needed to be…

...unique.

Neo guessed it couldn't be too bad having such a character for her boss, who was currently pouring himself another glass of whiskey. She could have been let go as soon as her disability was revealed, but here she was, driving in a car she had no idea belonged to, to a location that she had no idea was located, with a man she knew next to nothing about; information was Neo's specialty yet she was currently lacking any.

Mention of the car's origin brought the original question of whose car they were actually driving in back to her mind and she brought up her scroll to begin typing again.

Before Roman could bring the refilled glass of alcohol to his lips, a screen yet again took his vision and his glass moved back down, still full. "Whose car is this anyway?"

Roman let loose a chuckle before proceeding to answer her question, "Let's just say I'm borrowing it from someone and leave it at that."

He lifted the glass yet again to his lips, but again her was distracted from his drink by another lit screen. "So you stole it, from who?"

Roman, a bit disgruntled at not being able to taste any alcohol on lips, answered her question. "Before I picked you up I had a meeting with a… shall we say… benefactor of mine. The meeting went smoothly, until he thought it a good idea to change his deal last minute, even though we had decided what the details were a week in advance." Roman swirled the liquid in his glass boredly, "Not being very… pleased with the results of the meeting at his villa, I was so happy to oblige myself to this little beauty in his garage. He had so many other nice toys I was sure he wouldn't mind sharing it." The smirk on his face presenting a more devious look.

Neo wore an expression that could only be read as, Really? She typed a quick message in her scroll which she presented to the man next to her, "And he doesn't care one bit that you stole the car?"

Roman laughed at the thought as he rose his glass to his lips again, determined to feel the effects of the toxin, "Even if he did care about the car, what is he gonna do about it? Kill me and whine to his dead daddy, hahaha."

BOOM!

The sound was muffled in the soundproof cabin of the vehicle, but the shock wave was felt in all its glory, as was the alcohol which found itself leaping out of its glass and all over Roman' crisp sports jacket and shirt.

"AGH," cried Roman, "this is never gonna come out! Son of a b…" The car swerved as another boom sounded, throwing the occupants around in the, now regrettably, spacious cabin. Roman braced himself to avoid being thrown around again, and picked up his hat off the floor, placing it on his ginger colored dome. "Neo, get the blinds off those damn windows!"

She complied to her boss's order sliding the hinges back on their mounts as Roman did the same to his side. There was still a dark tint on the windows which hindered their vision, but Roman was opening up the window next to him to where the sound of jet engines flooded the cabin.

Roman, having a now clear view of the perpetrator of the explosions, deadpanned and promptly said, "You cannot be serious."

A compact model of the Bullhead transport craft - cleverly dubbed a Vealhead - was hovering alongside the car. The doors was currently opened, exposing a side mounted 40mm automatic dust grenade launcher. Currently operating said launcher was a middle aged man with blond tipped brown hair and a tacky red velvet suit.

"Well hello there, Roman", the man said through the aircraft's speaker.

Roman hastily grabbed the radio used to call to the driver's cabin, "Get me on the outside speakers", he barked to his men. He waited a few seconds before a beep sounded that the channels had been switched. He plastered the biggest shit-eating smile on his face before turning out the window, microphone in hand, "What a coincidence seeing you here, Stromboli."

"Cut the shit, _Torchwick_ , we both know why I'm here… and my name's not Stromboli it's Strav…"

"I'm hurt pasta head, I thought you liked the deal you thought up."

"Grrr… quit with the jokes, you ginger headed weasel, I want… my… CAR!" he seethed.

Roman chuckled, "What this car? I think it's a good consolation prize after you weaseled out that sham deal."

Roman smirked at the man in the helicopter, effectively pissing the tackily dressed Mistralian royally. "Gah, fuck the car, I can buy another, I want your ginger HEAD!" He cocked the menacing gun.

Roman, not knowing how to change the radio channel, promptly shouted, "MARK!" The shell that would have hit, missed as the car swerved hard to the right.

Roman threw himself into the car as the explosion sounded, and looked to the half-pinkette passenger next to him, to see a text in his face, "YOU STOLE THE STRAVOLIS CAR!?"

"Ok, in my defense, he had it coming to him", Roman proceeded to begin opening the sunroof, ignoring the girl next to him, but another text popped in his face demanding his attention.

Neo had a shocked look on her face, "The Stravolis are the most dangerous crime family in Mistral, they do a hundred hits a month, at least five from me!"

"Which is why we need to start shooting back to make sure we don't make that list a hundred and four," sunlight filled the cabin. Roman, with the smirk in its usual place, looked into Neo's wide eyes. "Now, instead of sitting with our tails between our legs, why don't we show that velvet wearing daddy's boy a thing or two of what it means to get a good spanking from daddy's belt, now, Neo," he stared directly into her wide eyes, "would you hand me my cane?"

Neo felt something start within her, like a spark had finally caught the tinder, and the beginnings of a burning fire were a possibility. She looked into that strong, green eye, which appropriately belonged to a man strong enough to go against the top of the crime ladder and not break a sweat. It was at that moment that she, for the first time, truly respected a person for being a criminal in the cesspool of those who took the route of thievery and debauchery, for he wasn't just a common criminal, he was a man committed to the road he had taken and the decision he made to the very end. Neo accepted Roman, just as she hoped he would come to accept her.

 _Looks like I may have found the person I was looking for…_ , they both thought as the handle of Roman's beloved Cudgel found itself in both the hand of its respective owner, and the appendage of a new person, whose touch it would become familiar to..


	3. In a Tunnel

The tunnel was a godsend to the occupants of the battered vehicle. The numerous dents, a reminder of the close calls and avoided rounds from the high explosive cannon, its once pristine paint job now bare and cracked in numerous places. The occupants inside were discussing the best plan of action to take, given the dwindling choices they had available to them.

Roman spoke, "Considering the deep shit that I have been in before… this comes pretty close to being the deepest."

Neo could only nod, face scrunched up, deep in thought.

They knew that they were cornered, the Mistralian boss had destroyed the entrance of the tunnel, and was most likely waiting for them on the other end. All in all, this was becoming a pretty hopeless situation.

"We gotta pull a miracle from our ass, or else we're gonna end up in a tomb when he blows the other entrance in." Roman seethed. He pulled a cigar from his container, lighting it impatiently, hoping some nicotine would generate some sort of answer.

Neo was having an internal debate with herself. She had the escape plan thought out, she always had an escape plan, only this time she would have to make a big sacrifice for it to be successful. Her semblance was absolutely a mystery to most of Remnant, she had worked hard to keep it that way. It was what allowed her to disappear and reappear off the face of the earth if need be at a moment's notice, every one of her employers has seen a different disguise of herself, even her current persona - an ode to the holy trinity of ice cream - was one of many flavors she had used in the past, one for each of her employers.

She relied on her semblance to offer her a way out when the heat got too much with her employers, while it may give her and Roman a way out for this sticky situation, it also meant giving up her trump card if things ever gave way with her association with Roman.

She could use it just for herself. She could jump out the door and leave a projection of her sitting in her seat next to her employer, but where would that leave her, in the middle of Grimm country on the Vacuo and Vale border.

An image of a confident man extending his hand out flashed across her mind.

Neo sighed, her decision had already been made.

Roman had his head out the window, the light at the end of the tunnel approaching faster by the second. He groaned in frustration, "Dammit, what the hell do we do!"

As if a sinner's prayer had been answered, he ducked back into the car, almost smacking his face into a screen, lit with the words, 'I have a plan.'

…

Niccolo Stravoli was **not** a happy man.

His day had been going well: mama had cooked his favorite breakfast, a date was planned between him and his beloved Maria, oh, and he had managed to catch the infamous, bowler hat clad criminal off guard in his own territory. Things were looking just swell...

 _...or so they were._

The car, which he had planned to surprise his beloved with when he was to pick her up from the spa for a romantic night on the town, had been whisked away right under his nose by said bowler hat wearing criminal. He really was not a happy camper at the moment.

The heads of the family had warned him about getting involved with Roman, called him was a loose cannon, none of those old farts could control him, and anything that wasn't controlled, or cream filled couldn't be trusted.

Niccolo thought they weren't direct enough about it, and if his mama's beatings taught him anything it was that the most effective way to get something through someone was by being direct. He was so ready to prove those old bozos wrong, but they were right. Roman was a thorn in all their sides that couldn't just be treated with the normal application of organized crime, it needed to be removed.

His Vealhead was hovering just outside the exit of the cave, barrel pointed at the ready to blow up the car as soon as it exited. "Only a car. Only a car...", Niccolo repeated to himself… still, it put a nice size chunk in his family's wallet, but they had the best insurance money could buy so getting it replaced shouldn't be _too_ much of a problem.

It seemed everything turned out alright in the end for the young mafioso, he would be able to eliminate a pain in the Stravoli family's side once and for all, if only he could make it up to his Maria somehow...

Before the lovestruck Mistralian could think up a replacement gift, the roar of an engine went speeding out of the tunnel. Startled, Niccolo fumbled a bit but recovered enough to order the pilot to follow behind it. The helicopter moved into position, facing the gun barrel parallel to the road, the car holding a straight line, not swerving. Niccolo had a devilish grin on his face, this was it all those family heads would finally see all he had to offer to the family business.

He pulled the trigger. A bright ball light from the ignited dust lit across his face.

He had done it. Niccolo let out a maniacal laugh at the ball of fire in front of him. No longer would Roman Torchwick be a hindrance to the Stravoli family name. Now to head back and let the old farts know what a huge favor he…

" _Yoo-hoo_ , pasta head~!"

No...

Niccolo turned around slowly, not believing what he was hearing for a moment, however, he was soon made a believer as none other than the man, who moments ago had disappeared in a big ball of smoke and fire, was there, waving at him and smirking as wide as ever, the barrel of his cane pointed at the aircraft, "You missed!"

Impossible! He had seen the explosion with his own eyes! He flashed back around to confirm the presence of the smoldering wreck but was left, mouth agape, at the spotless road in front of him. He tried to order the pilot to move, but the shock at the disappearance of the wreck held any words from leaving his mouth. He turned back to the well-dressed kingpin just in time to hear the high-pitched whistle of a flare heading right for him.

…

Roman chuckled as the tail of the helicopter was blown off. "Heh. Almost as good as a Vacuoan Cohiba." Roman placed said cigar from his pocket into his mouth. "...Almost," Roman concluded, smirking.

It was then that Roman noticed that the huge smoldering debris of the helicopters blown off tail currently heading towards them, Roman couldn't even admire his handiwork as he ducked down into the car. "Neo, you might want to hang on…"

Roman was interrupted as both he and Neo were thrown violently around in the cabin of the car as it swerved to avoid the wreckage of the destroyed aircraft, falling in pieces around their car. Once the car straightened out, the occupants were left recovering from the turbulent ride.

"Ooh yeah… hurts in all the right places," Roman groaned, "Remind me to take that out of his paycheck." He tried to sit up only to find himself stopped by some unknown weight on his chest. When he opened his eyes, he found that weight to be a bit more familiar, and a lot closer than he thought. The cars quick movement had thrown Roman onto his back on the spacious cabin floor, likewise, it had also thrown Neo over the center console, and onto the prone form of the gangster below.

Much like the first time they met, the one thing that registered in Roman's mind was the color of her eyes, only this time in much greater detail, with them being so close and all, he noticed how well they complemented with the two colors of her hair. Wide with surprise - Roman's were probably in a similar state – they made their already large quality seem larger against the portrait of her baby like face. The pink of the one was soft, like the color of a baby's blanket, warm and inviting, yet the quality of it gave off a fake aura. The white was different, much…colder, akin to the frozen treat this girl seemed so keen on representing, but it lacked the masked nature of the other, this one held a more matured nature to them, presenting experience beyond the years of what her youthful appearance showed; this eye had seen a lot.

The eyes which had roman in a trance, blinked, causing to Roman to blink in turn, snapping himself out of his stupor and back to the real world. How long had he been like that he wondered? _Better recover quick_. He broke the silence, "Well, wasn't that just smashing." _That was bad even for you Roman… Ouch._

Neo released the breath she didn't know she was holding and promptly grimaced. She hoped to Oum that bad puns like that would not become a regular occurrence (most likely they will). Hopping off the prone gangster before the situation could get more awkward, she retreated quickly to her seat and sat down, eyes closed, striking a haughty pose.

Roman sat back down in his seat, trying to straighten his shirt, making it a bit more presentable. If he was honest with himself, he felt a bit like an awkward than he had felt in a long time. He wasn't used to not having an escape plan and what happened back there in the tunnel, made him feel like a chicken without his head. Had his petite pal not acted accordingly with her plan, he would have had to explain to Cinder in the afterlife why her plans wouldn't be going exactly how she planned them. He believed both he and she knew a 'thank you' was in order, but he wasn't going to give it up easily.

"We made a pretty good team back there, don't ya think?"

A small nod responded back.

"I mean, had I not expertly executed that surprise like I did, it wouldn't have been nearly as good."

No comment from the opposite party.

"You should have seen his face," Roman laughed heartily, "He was like 'WAHH' and then 'AHH' and finally 'BOOM' ahahaha… haha… hehe…"

The comedy was obviously lost on the small girl.

Roman let out a 'humph' and exaggeratedly sat back in his chair, fingers tapping on the armrest. He steeled his inner pride and prepared for the dreaded phrase that was slowly but surely coming off his silver tongue. "Look what I mean to say is… tha… thugh," he braced, _Come on Roman, out with it_ , "I'm glad that you were there to… do the thing… that you did."

Neo's stature was not broken with that answer, but a sliver of a smirk was on her face.

Roman ceded defeat to the small illusionist. "Oh fine, you win, I'll say it, you ready because it's not gonna come out again. Ok… here we go… *deep breath*… thank you," he let out a deep sigh, "Man that was difficult, don't make me do something like that again, please I'm begging you, I think I even started sweating."

Roman then noticed the state of the girl next to him. Neo was visible, yet not audible, while laughing hysterically at the man's exasperation at saying the little phrase. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, and her face was in a jovial expression, all at the gangster's expense.

Neo took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but it was all for naught once she caught a glimpse of the most disgruntled look she had seen in her entire life. She broke into another round of giggles and it seemed this time would be a bit harder to suppress than before.

Roman rolled his eyes and faced away from the melting puddle of Ice Cream next to him, and scrunched up his face in a pout, though if you asked him if he was pouting he would have accused you of looking too closely at one of his flares, and then given you an even closer look a one. He was distracted from his little moment of feeling childish by the pounding of dainty feet on the floor of the car _. She really is getting a kick outta this, huh_. Roman just sighed and let out a chuckle, too quiet for the girl next to him to pick up, that morphed into an even quieter smile. He believed some things were looking out for the better. He scoffed, "Yeah… real funny."

…

A/N: LMAO I tricked you, you thought it was dead, but in reality, it only took 11 months of procrastination and school *dab**dab**dab**dab**dab**dab*


	4. During a Spar

The clicking of keys on a board stopped with a sigh. Roman rubbed his eyes, strained at looking at a brightly lit screen for a good hour or so, and leaned back in his black leather chair with a creak. The letter which was currently being sent out to his empire's shot-callers, informing them of their new second in command, legally known by the name, Neo Politian, _cute_.

It had only been a few hours since the events in the car, which had been the first act of cooperation between the gangster and his new right-hand man… _err_ … woman. The encounter had proved a testament to the success that teamwork was ready and attainable between the two. Were it not for Neo's semblance distracting the gunner, Roman would not have been able to get a clear shot at the engines, downing the aircraft and allowing the boat of a car and its occupants to live to see another day.

 _...survive, right Roman?_

The ginger gangster gathered himself, another topic needing attention now on his new sidekick. Unlocked auras were far and few between in the criminal underworld, reason being, it always went to their heads. People who ended up in this line of work were never stupid, at least in terms of street smarts; you never poked your head out as far as you knew you could bring it back in time. Soon as one idiot gets their hands on an aura they think themselves invincible, that thought is quickly revoked once a hunter is on your ass quicker than you can say 'dust'. Only ones who got to keep their aura outside a high-security hunter prison were the ones that could keep it concealed. What better to keep a set of abilities hidden than a semblance designed to do that very thing.

How this ice cream themed assassin managed to keep such a valuable commodity hidden from the likes of someone like Cinder, Roman could only guess. Depending on the extent of her ability, entire operations could go unseen by the public eye in the light of the daytime. Roman wasn't a snitch, so he would keep it to himself about her little talent.

 _Doesn't mean I don't want to find out what she's capable of myself._

Having a semblance like that on his side could help speed up some of the more tedious robberies on his list, namely the ones targeting Atlas Military warehouses. Roman wasn't one to go passing up opportunities like that, especially if one came right to his front door. Despite the advantages she could offer him in the future, Roman only took bets he knew he could win.

He had already done his fair amount of research on this new worker of his and was both surprised and amused at her… vast work experience. It seemed that most of the criminal leaders that had - keyword 'had' - stood in his way, required the services of an Ice Cream themed criminal at one point or another, and those services were oh so extensive.

Bodyguard, secretary, driver, grunt, door guard, pickpocket, pickup, delivery, escort, nearly every lower position in the criminal pyramid and her name was on it. Roman knew the biases of the criminal underworld and one, although slowly being phased out by an increase of female bosses, sexism was very common among the male ranks. Roman did not believe that any sex was created greater than the other and he practiced that belief daily, _I'm an asshole to everyone, equally,_ he thought with a chuckle _._

She was obviously smart enough to run things on her own, Roman could see that, so why come to someone as infamous as him, his reputation in both the daily and criminal world was less than stellar, practically every boss had a number on his head. _Why look for work with me… hell, why does anyone wanna work for me?_ The fact that he paid his workers a dollar more just to piss off other bosses had no gravity on that statement.

Beside his two-sided generosity, the only other reason she would want to work for him is to get close, and the one job title on here resume kept blaring in his head like a siren.

 _Assassin…_

 _Was she sent by someone?_ Roman rubbed his chin in puzzlement, _no… if she was she wouldn't have saved my ass in that tunnel._ Roman was in a predicament here, he could kill her and avoid the risk of being stabbed in the back entirely or take his chances with her and possibly benefit in the future exponentially, it was beginning to look like a bet worth folding.

Roman took out and lit another cigar, suddenly he remembered a small hand reaching up to grasp his and sighed, right before stifling a grimace, _Where the hell did that cheesy thought come from?_ He took a drag from his cigar. Despite that thought coming from left field, it gave Roman an answer on whether to take this bet or not. He exhaled the smoke.

Roman sat up from his leather office chair, proceeding to make his way out of his office. He stopped by the rack by the door, picking up Cudgel and placing his hat upon his head. He stepped out the door, eager to work up a sweat with his new playmate. He then slapped himself firmly, "You're going soft, Roman, shape up!"

* * *

Neo was biding her time looking out the window in the living room, well, a window was an understatement, in fact, anything to describe this house could be an understatement. The window was one of several sheets of glass taking up the entire wall, giving the occupants inside a spectacular view of the now moonlit valley. The living room had one wall with a bookshelf carved from the mountain the property resided within, in the middle, a fireplace made up of black stone clashed against the brown backdrop. The whole room was open to where you could look down from the second story balcony and still see the valley just as well as a person standing in front of the window. The main walkways were laid with white marble, the living room floor with pristine, white carpet; the furniture a red-orange; highlights a smooth black.

She found herself caught on the happenings earlier that day, the events repeating within her mind over and over till she could almost perfectly describe the way the Vealhead's explosion swirled with the failing turbines.

What came over her in the car, to take a complete strangers hand, in a situation that screamed to all her instincts to 'get out'. She had no clue. But when he had held his arm out to her, it was like… a connection was made. God that sounded cheesy, even to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clacking of loafers on the tile. Roman was at the bottom of the stairway, leaning smugly on his cane. His had changed into a black long sleeve, his earlier top ruined and spelling of alcohol, Neo herself had removed her jacket, as the temperature of the room was too warm to wear something bulky indoors. "Like the place? I designed it all myself," he gestured around the room, "of course by 'designed it myself' I meant kidnapped some interior designers who owed a bit too much money."

'…Really?', said the expression Neo wore.

Roman brushed off the disinterest, "Anyway, follow me. I need you for something." He started down the stairwell again.

Neo started toward the stairs, "Oh! Grab your umbrella too, chop-chop~." She rolled her eyes and grabbed her umbrella leaning against the wall.

Once down the stairs, there was a door that led to, what seemed to be, the base level of the house. She walked in, to see what looked like a training room, complete with exercise equipment and even a T.V in the corner.

Her instincts told her to evade before she had time to study the room more, and the length of Cudgel passed over her head. She flipped around weapon at the ready, facing toward the crime boss.

"Good reflexes, Ice Cream," he complimented, resting his cane on his shoulder, "I hope you didn't take that in the wrong way, I just have to see for myself if you're as good as your reputation says."

She narrowed her eyes at Roman but relaxed her guard a bit.

Roman continued talking, "I was hoping if we could have a little spar, besides I need to let loose a bit after that car ride." Roman stretches his back, "Feel so stiff."

Neo smiled, curious herself to see if remnants rising kingpin could handle his cane as well as he could handle his makeup.

Roman answered her smile, with one of his own, "Well come on, 31 flavors. Show me whatcha' got."

Neo's eyes switched as she activated her semblance, leaving an image of her standing smugly, while she rushed in for a swift kick to his smug face. Surprisingly, Roman brought up his cane to deflect her incoming attack. She uses his swings momentum to pivot on her other leg to which she then cartwheels around his side, he swings his cane around to attack her mid-flip, but she folds her elbows, dropping down

Roman brings his cane around his back switching his grasp from the handle to the barrel of the weapon and snags the hook of her parasol with his own. He yanked her back, intending to use his other hand's fist to land a blow.

Although caught off guard, Neo let the attack pull her back and in the last second used his extended fist as a point to flip herself on to Roman's shoulders, spinning and flipping around, coming off his back with a hard up-kick to the back of his head, causing him to stagger forward. She finished out in a back handspring, striking a pose as she landed, her eyes had switched back to normal.

Roman staggered a bit, wondering why his vision was darkened until he realized his hat was over his face, straightening his favorite article of clothing, he looked back to his flexible sidekick with an amused look on his face, as she giggled softly. "Being used as a pommel horse is something I'm going have to get used to isn't it?" he smirked as she made a small shrug, "You win this round, but don't expect me to go easy on you this time."

Eyes shifting in color, Neo again went in for the attack not allowing him a chance to plan out one of his own, she sent an image directly at Roman while she went to attack from his blind side, she went to bring her weapon into his midsection. Roman dodged and grabbed her arm while looking her directly in her face the whole time. She could do nothing as cudgel took a chunk from her aura with a solid hit.

She rolled out of the hit with another handspring but was still shocked at how he knew exactly where she was. Her semblance was active, wasn't it? It didn't make any sense.

Roman twirled his cane around, looking smug, he leaned on his cane with both hands, "What's a matter, Ice Cream, never had your act seen through before?"

Neo bristled, still frustrated at how he read her attack so perfectly. _I can't underestimate him it seems._

Both prepared themselves for the next attack, not keen on letting the other one-up them again. The shot toward each other simultaneously.

Roman swung, she dodged. She kicked, he deflected. Both using every trick up their sleeve to get the upper hand, but neither able to break the others guard. They both separated, panting heavily, readying themselves for a final assault on the other.

Neo rushed in first, sliding under Romans legs. Expecting the attack roman brought his cane down behind him, but her parasol blocked it. She deflected Cudgel to the side and pushed up into an upside-down spin. Roman rolled out of his imbalance, under her spinning kick. Neo gave him no time to recover and rushed out a flurry of kicks which, again, were deflected. Having enough she went for a flip over his head like before, but when she went for a vault with her hand on his shoulder, Roman dropped it, making her lose her balance, and aimed his cane at where she would be. Neo brought her umbrella at the ready and fell on her back on the floor.

With the barrel of cudgel at her face and the point of her blade at his throat, the two had reached a draw.

Their heavy breathing filled the room for a good minute as they both refused to drop their weapons. Roman, obviously, broke the silence. "Good… fight… Neo."

She nodded tiredly back, and they both withdrew their weapons.

Roman took off his hat and wiped his brow, "Whew. Haven't worked up a sweat like that in a while." He peeled his sweaty shirt from his skin, "Ugh, these are going to need another dry cleaning."

Neo shook her head. _How can one man be so infatuated with his appearance?_

"One that gives too much of a crap of what people think of him, Cream Cup," Roman answered

Neo was taken aback. _How did he know what I was thinking?_

Roman pulled out his cigar, "When you gamble, you learn how to read body languages, or you end up broke." He lit his cigar and turned back to her, "The fact that you show everything on your pretty little face also helps me see right through you… literally and figuratively given your semblance."

Neo, now blushing from being called pretty, was brought back to her thoughts earlier when he saw through her attack so perfectly, still not entirely sure how he did so.

"Oh, besides being a good face reader," Roman lifted the hair above his right eye, "this also helps me out gambling."

His right eye was a narrow slit against a bright venom green iris. Not unlike that of a reptile.

Neo's jaw dropped at the revelation her boss just brought upon her.

"When you saved my back in the car with that move of yours, I figured, 'Well she showed me hers, so I'll show her mine'," Roman took a puff of his cigar but began coughing, "That *cough* sounded dirtier than *cough**cough* expected."

 _Remnants premier crime lord… is a Faunus?!_

* * *

A/N:

WOAH big revealzzz. Lol jk

Sorry for such slow pace people, after this chapter things will start picking up… I hope.

Leave a review because it's greatly appreciated, and if someone could Beta or find me a Beta, I would be happy ?

Peace


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